The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century – Thomas L. Friedman

In the early 2000s, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman traveled to Bangalore, India, and was struck by how companies there were competing on an equal footing with firms in the United States and elsewhere. A business leader told him that the global playing field was being leveled, and Friedman realized that, in an economic sense, the world was becoming flat. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century explores this transformation.

Friedman argues that a combination of political, technological and economic changes has connected people and businesses around the world as never before, allowing individuals and small companies anywhere to collaborate and compete globally. He identifies ten forces that flattened the world, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of the internet and the web browser, workflow software, open-sourcing, outsourcing, offshoring, supply-chaining, insourcing, in-forming through search engines, and wireless technologies.

The book explores the consequences of this flattening for individuals, companies and countries. Friedman discusses how the United States, China, India and other nations are adapting, which jobs are most at risk of being outsourced, and the skills workers will need to thrive, such as curiosity, adaptability and the ability to collaborate. He also considers the challenges of a flat world, including inequality, the people and regions left behind, and security threats.

Lively and full of stories from his travels and interviews, the book became an international bestseller and shaped debates about globalization.

The World Is Flat is a thought-provoking read for business readers and anyone interested in globalization. It reflects conditions in the mid-2000s, and many of its arguments have been debated and overtaken by later events.